Home » Job Profiles » Construction and Manufacturing » Aerospace Manufacturing Fabricator

Aerospace Manufacturing Fabricator

An aerospace manufacturing fabricator works with various types of materials to develop, design and install various components to aircraft, satellites or other aerospace equipment. The fabricator may work with a general design plan or may be required to make modifications to the basic plan to work with various pieces of equipment. Most of the material that an aerospace manufacturing fabricator works with is called composite, which is a mixture of cloth and mesh plastic compounds that are held together with resin. The plastic is first molded to the correct shape, pressed together, and then heated in ovens to cause the resin to melt, fuse and then cool to form a solid surface.

After the item has been crafted, heated and cooled the product is then drilled, sanded, modified and attached to the aerospace equipment. The fabricator then makes any necessary adjustments or modifications to ensure that the attachment is durable and solid and will work under the extreme conditions in space. It is important for the fabricator to create a high quality part as well as keep to the schedule for completion of the project. Since most projects require piece-by-piece assembly each fabrication is an important step in the overall timeline.

An aerospace manufacturing fabricator must have an ability to pay attention to the smallest detail that may affect the overall quality or performance of the part. He or she should have a background in fabrication as well as a general understanding of each individual project. Additional training in aircraft manufacturing, maintenance or design is also beneficial. Working with the production team including designers and engineers requires effective communication skills.

Common work activities include:

• Reading and understanding design prints or detailed diagrams for fabrication.
• Working with various composites, plastics and metals to create the part as per the design description.
• Molding, forming, heating and curing the item according to specifications outlined by the engineers.
• Modifying of the fabricated part as required.
• Installing the part on the project as needed within the given time constraints.

Programs related to Aerospace Manufacturing Fabricator careers